Home Office

Hafizzulah Husseinkhel

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to reconsider the case of Hafizzulah Husseinkhel, an Afghan interpreter who worked as an interpreter for the British Army and is due to be deported from the UK; if so, when; and what assessment they have made ofhis safety should his deportation go ahead.

baroness williams of trafford: The United Kingdom has a long and proud history of granting asylum to those who genuinely need our protection, in accordance with our obligations under the Refugee Convention.Each claim is carefully considered on its individual merits and we cannot comment on individual cases. We support the principle that asylum should be claimed and processed by the first safe country in which an individual finds themselves as that is the fastest route to safety.

Drugs: Decriminalisation

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to commission research into (1) the experience of Portugal in decriminalising the possession and use for personal consumption of harmful drugs, (2) that country's policy of reducing harm caused by drugs to individuals and families, and (3) the possibility of legitimising the supply of such drugs, by excluding criminal networks.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office’s report Drugs: International Comparators, published in October 2014, looked at Portugal’s response to drug use. The Government has no plans to commission further research into Portugal’s drug policy.This Government has no plans to decriminalise drug misuse. Our approach on drugs remains clear - we must prevent drug use in our communities, support people through treatment and recovery, and tackle the supply of illegal drugs.Our new Drug Strategy sets out a balanced approach which brings together police, health, community and global partners to tackle the illicit drug trade, protect the most vulnerable and help those with a drug dependency to recover and turn their lives around.

Shops: Crimes of Violence

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of abuse and assault of shopworkers during "Black Friday" sales, and of the adequacy of protections against such abuse and assault.

baroness williams of trafford: All acts of violence and abuse against retail staff are serious matters whenever and wherever they occur. All such incidents should be reported to the police and taken seriously, investigated and, where appropriate, the perpetrators taken through the courts and met with tough sentences. At the national level, we are working with the police and the retail sector to identify what more can be done to prevent and respond to violence and abuse against retail staff, as part of the work of the National Retail Crime Steering Group. The Steering Group is jointly chaired by the Home Office and the British Retail Consortium.

UK Border Force

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was (1) the budget, (2) the complement of full time equivalent staff that the budget of the Border Force was designed to support; what was the average number of full time equivalent staff in post for each of the financial years from 2012–13 to 2016–17; and what are the corresponding projections for the financial years 2017–18 and 2018–19.

baroness williams of trafford: 2012/132013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Total resource including depreciation (£m)617509523561565552Staff - total (FTE) 8,1238,0448,1537,6467,574N/APaid Civil Servants (FTE)7,5537,6357,8147,3377,278N/A  Capital - Net Budget £m5756573871N/AThe budget for Border Force in 2017/18 is £552 million with a capital budget of 71m. The budget is allocated across a range of capabilities such as people, technology and processes that keep our borders safe. Therefore the size of budget is not directly linked to the number of staff. Border Force staffing figures for the 17/18 financial year are not currently available. They are due for publication 31 March 2018.Future Border Force budgets are determined by a departmental allocation that is yet to be delegated to the operational commands within the Home Office.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Bankruptcy

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the position of pensions in creditor and debtor petitioned bankruptcies following the introduction of pension freedoms.

lord henley: Under section 11(1) of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999, where a bankruptcy order is made on a petition presented on or after 29 May 2000, all rights and benefits under approved pension arrangements will be excluded from the bankrupt’s estate. The recent Court of Appeal decision in the case of Horton vs Henry confirmed this position and determined that the Trustee in bankruptcy cannot require the bankrupt to access their undrawn pension entitlement as this was contrary to section 11 of the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999.

Bankruptcy

lord sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for excluding an individual's pension fund when determining whether an individual is insolvent when presenting their debtor petition for bankruptcy.

lord henley: When determining if an individual is insolvent when presenting a petition for bankruptcy, the Adjudicator at the Insolvency Service needs to consider the circumstances of each individual case on its merits. The Adjudicator will have regard to all the available assets including any pension fund when determining an individual’s insolvency. If the Adjudicator refuses an application, that decision can be subject to a review or an appeal to the court.

Females: Directors

lord fearn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what legislative quotas have existed for women on UK boards since 2010.

lord henley: No legislative quotas have existed for women on UK boards since 2010. The Government is strongly committed to increasing the number of women on public and private sector boards and believes that the most effective way of effecting this change is through a voluntary approach, including non-legislative targets. The Government is supportive of the Hampton-Alexander Review into FTSE Women Leaders which has set a target of 33% female representation across FTSE 350 boards by 2020.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, published on 23 October; and how they assess what is a reasonable and expeditious time period for bringing the occupation to a close.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains concerned about the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). We remain firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights and compliance with international law in the OPTs. We have a regular dialogue with the Government of Israel with regard to the implementation of their obligations under international law and regularly and robustly raise our serious concerns on issues relating to Israeli actions in the OPTs. The Government firmly believes a just and lasting resolution that ends the occupation and delivers peace for both Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. Without a negotiated settlement the occupation and the problems that come with it will continue​.

Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Iran relating to the case of Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh, an Iranian convert to Christianity who has had his 10-year prison sentence for missionary activities upheld after losing his appeal.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The human rights situation in Iran, including the harassment and persecution of Christians, is of serious concern. The Foreign Secretary raised human rights concerns with the Iranian Government as a notable element of his visit to Iran on 9-10 December. The Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, did likewise during his visit on 5 August.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations are they making to the government of Israel regarding the construction of a new section of the Israeli separation barrier that divides the Cremisan valley vineyards and olive groves, cutting many Palestinians off from their land.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly make representations to the Government of Israel on the need for a just outcome for all the people affected by illegal settlement construction and confiscation of land due to the Separation Barrier. We remain deeply concerned by the Israeli Supreme Court's decision of 6 July 2015 to permit the construction of 1.2 kilometres of the Separation Barrier through Cremisan Valley and the detrimental effect this would have on the livelihoods of those Palestinians affected.

Israeli Settlements

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel following reports of the recent killing of a Palestinian farmer by Israeli settlers, and of the failure of Israeli forces to prevent such crimes.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We raised this incident with the Israeli authorities on 30 November. We understand an investigation is underway, which we hope will be timely and thorough. We routinely stress the importance of the Israel security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they intend to take following the vote on the motion at the UN General Assembly in New York, "that any actions by Israel, the occupying Power, to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Holy City of Jerusalem were illegal and therefore null and void".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. In line with relevant Security Council Resolutions, including Resolution 2334, we regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We will continue to make our position clear with all of our international partners.

British Nationals Abroad: Armed Forces

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they give to British citizens, including those with dual nationality, regarding service in the military of other nations, including that of Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: In the publication, Support for British nationals abroad: A guide, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises British nationals who have some connection with a foreign or Commonwealth country – for example, by birth, by descent through either parent, by marriage or by residence – that they may be a national of that country as well as being a British national. We advise that they as a consequence still have certain responsibilities with that country, such as compulsory military service. Anyone in that position would need to consult the relevant authorities in that country for further advice.

Palestinians: Self-determination of States

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what means they have identified by which the Palestinian people may exercise their right to self-determination; and if none, whether they will refer that issue to UN and other international agencies.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK supports the Palestinian people in realising self-determination through an independent, sovereign, and unified Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. That is why we provide funding to the Palestinian Authority and support its state-building efforts in order to maintain stability, provide vital services, as well as build and strengthen the institutions needed for a viable Palestinian state. The British Government is committed to making progress towards a two-state solution. We believe that peace will only come through negotiations between the parties, but that international action could play a role in supporting progress towards that goal.

Israel: West Bank

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had withthe government of Israel about any further house demolitions or destructions of education premises in Area C of the West Bank and the possibility of such actions being treated as forced transfers of population, in contravention of international law.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We most recently raised the issue of demolitions with the Israeli authorities on 29 November. As the Minister for the Middle East set out in a Westminster Hall debate on 6 December, the UK position on demolitions is clear: we consider them entirely unacceptable. In all but the most exceptional cases, they are contrary to international humanitarian law. Demolitions or evictions of Palestinian families from their homes cause unnecessary suffering and call into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution. The UK is particularly concerned by Israeli proposals to relocate the Bedouin population from the E1 area. The UN has said that these proposals could constitute forcible transfer.

Local Government: Commonwealth

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage local authorities to celebrate the Commonwealth prior to the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have been working closely with interested parties across the UK, including local authorities, to raise the profile of the Commonwealth in the run up to next year's Heads of Government Meeting and to celebrate its unique networks.We are encouraging local authorities to host a 'Commonwealth Big Lunch' between Commonwealth Day on 12 March and the end of the summit on 22 April. We have also asked them to encourage their communities to share their Commonwealth links on social media, using #ourCommonwealth to tell the story of the Commonwealth and demonstrate how wide ranging its people-to-people links are. There will be many other local promotions of the Commonwealth taking place in the run up to the summit.

Turkey: LGBT People

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 5 December (HL3404), whether in regularly urging Turkey to work towards full protection of fundamental rights, they have specifically raised the banning of all events by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex rights groups in Ankaraby the city's governor.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Embassy i​n Ankara have recently raised their concerns over the ban on LGBTI events in Ankara with the ruling party.

Cabinet Office

Electoral Register

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the cost to (1) local authorities, and (2) the Electoral Commission, of preparation for, and administration of, the scheme of individual electoral registration, since that scheme was introduced.

lord young of cookham: The Cabinet Office has provided funding to Local Authorities to reflect the increase in costs of registration under individual electoral registration compared to the previous household system. This means that the cost of individual electoral registration has been borne directly by central Government. The amount of funding provided to local authorities in 2013-15 was some £49 million. This was shared between all Electoral Registration Officers in Great Britain. This sum includes £10 million allocated to boost voter registration during the transition. The Cabinet Office continues to provide funding to assist Electoral Registration Officers with the management of electoral registration.The Electoral Commission was a major supporter of the introduction of individual electoral registration and played an essential role in its successful implementation. Her Majesty’s Government is not in a position, however, to report on costs incurred by the Electoral Commission which is an independent body.

Construction: Migrant Workers

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many construction workers from theEU have been employed in the UK in each of the past five years for which figures are available.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and I will place a copy of their letter in the Library of the House.



UKSA Response 
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Electronic Government

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action are they taking to deal withwebsites offering access to Government services at additional charges.

lord young of cookham: Departments and organisations across government work actively and collaboratively to tackle sites that offer government services for additional charges. These third party sites commonly operate by offering a call connection or application checking service. Such sites purport to add additional value to the public users of the sites.As well as ensuring government services are correctly listed and rank highly in search engine results, limiting the likelihood that the public will encounter misleading websites, government organisations proactively take steps to have misleading websites amended or taken down. This is done by contacting the website owners directly, reporting misleading sites to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and National Trading Standards (NTS) bodies, and taking legal action.GOV.UK remains the best place to find government information and services.

Productivity

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government which (1) business, (2) industrial, and (3) public, sectors top the national statistics for productivity; and what percentage each one is of the whole.

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries in the G20 (1) include, and(2) do not include, the number of unemployed in their calculations of productivity.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and I will place a copy of their letter in the Library of the House.



UKSA Response 
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Government Departments: Productivity

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what methodology they use to measure the productivity of government departments and agencies.

lord young of cookham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and I will place a copy of their letter in the Library of the House.



UKSA Response 
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Local Government: Procurement

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to help local authorities detect procurement bid rigging in contracts for which they are responsible.

lord young of cookham: The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published a Screening for Cartels tool that will help public procurement professionals identify suspicious behaviour by suppliers when bidding for contracts:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/screening-for-cartels-tool-for-procurersThe CMA has also produced other guidance on bid-rigging to help procurers, including an e-learning module that gives pointers on what to look out for:https://builtintelligence.com/pages/learn-how-to-spot-bid-rigging



Screening for Cartels tool
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Attorney General

Religious Hatred: Prosecutions

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton (HL Deb, col 1052) on 6 December, whether the Crown Prosecution Service’s definition of hate crime includes any action or speech which is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by prejudice based on a person’s religion; and where such action or speech leads to a successful prosecution, what is the maximum sentence.

lord keen of elie: The shared CPS and NPCC flagging definition of a religiously motivated hate crime covers any incident or crime which is perceived by the victim or any other person, to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on a person’s religion or perceived religion. In order for a crime to be charged and prosecuted as a hate crime, the CPS uses the legal definitions contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (CDA 1998) and the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003).The CDA 1998 creates a number of specific racially or religiously aggravated offences, each of which has a higher maximum sentence than the ‘basic’ non-racially or religiously aggravated version of the offence. For other offences, the CJA 2003 places a duty on the courts to increase the sentence where the defendant has been convicted of an offence where they have demonstrated or been motivated by hostility towards the victim based upon their protected characteristic. The CDA 2003 does not set a maximum sentence. Sentencing is a matter for the courts and will depend on the individual circumstances of the case and the legislation under which the defendant has been convicted.

Religious Hatred: Prosecutions

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton (HL Deb, col 1052) on 6 December, whether the Crown Prosecution Service’s definition of hate crime covers cases in which a Christian says that Jesus is the only Son of the one true God if this offends anyone of any other religion.

lord keen of elie: The CPS assesses each case on its individual facts and circumstances. Prosecutions can only be brought in line with legislation and in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. For something to be considered a hate crime, the perpetrator must have first committed a crime in accordance with the relevant legislation.The CPS legal guidance on hate crime recognises the right to freedom of expression set out in Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The CPS seeks to balance the right to freedom of speech and expression against the duty of the state to act proportionately.In relation to offences of stirring up religious hatred, there is a freedom of expression defence contained in Section 29J of the Public Order Act 1986, which explicitly states nothing in the Act; "...prohibits or restricts discussion, criticism or expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule, insult, or abuse of particular religions, or the beliefs or practices of its adherents."

Department for International Development

Iraq: Reconstruction

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the costs of the damage to Mosul and other towns and villages in northern Iraq following recent fighting; which bodies have responsibility for the reconstruction of those areas; and what discussions they have held, or plan to hold, with other governments and agencies on these matters.

lord bates: The costs of the damage to Mosul and northern Iraq following recent fighting as well as the previous occupation by Daesh are great and currently still being assessed. The World Bank is due to release its Damage Needs Assessment Report shortly which will contain the most up to date estimate of the costs and will be available to the wider public. Reconstruction of these areas is the responsibility of the Government of Iraq who has allocated $350m so far for reconstruction efforts in their 2018 draft budget. UK officials regularly hold meetings with the GOI to discuss reconstruction needs and are encouraging the GOI to use an upcoming Kuwaiti-hosted reconstruction conference as an opportunity to attract private sector investment.

Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the UK’s total contribution to the Global Fund in 2017; and how the outcome of this contribution will be assessed.

lord bates: The UK pledged £1.1 billion to the Global Fund over 2017-19. Of this, £200 million was to double private sector contributions for tackling malaria, and £90 million was linked to successful delivery against a demanding performance agreement. In 2017, the UK contributed £317.06 million to the Global Fund. The outcome of this contribution is assessed annually, including in terms of the number of lives saved and reduction in new HIV infections and TB and malaria cases worldwide as a result of investments by the Global Fund.

International Climate Fund

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries received funds from the International Climate Fund in 2017.

lord bates: UK International Climate Finance (ICF) helps countries build resilience to the effects of climate change, reduces global greenhouse gas emissions, and supports sustainable management of natural resources, such as forests.The latest year for which data on UK ICF spend has been published is 2016/17. In that financial year the following countries and UK overseas territories directly received UK ICF:Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Caribbean, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, St Helena, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.In 2016-17 UK ICF also financed regional and multi-country programmes and contributed to three multilateral climate funds, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Developing Countries: Malaria

baroness hayman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the total spend on malaria was allocated to health system strengthening programmes in each of the last five years.

lord bates: DFID is the second largest international funder to the global fight against malaria, spending £499million in 2016/17. Over the last five years, all of our funding on malaria control, apart from the proportion which is spent on research and development of products and the funding for commodity procurement, contributes to strengthening health systems. For example, investment into malaria surveillance systems, training health workers in malaria care for children and improving malaria drug supply systems provide core skills and infrastructure that can be used to address other diseases.

Syria: Overseas Aid

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much Department for International Development aid has been made directly available to support religious minorities and victims of genocide in Syria in each of the last five years.

lord bates: The table below provides a breakdown of DFID spending in Syria for the last five years which includes the current financial year. 2013/20142014/20152015/20162016/20172017/2018£133.6m£151.6m£193.2m£209.3m£99.9m UK aid is distributed on the basis of need and need alone. We prioritise reaching the most vulnerable people, who include religious minorities and those at risk of persecution.

Department for Education

Social Mobility

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the publication in November of the Social Mobility Commission report, State of the Nation 2017: Social Mobility in Great Britain, what steps they intend to take to ensure that every person hastheopportunity to build a good life for themselves, regardless oftheirfamily background.

lord agnew of oulton: We welcome the Social Mobility Commission’s 2017 State of the Nation report, which draws important attention to how the family and the community you were born in can disproportionately shape your educational and career outcomes. Tackling social mobility is one of the department’s priorities. We want all young people, regardless of their background or where they grow up, to get the best start in life and have every chance to go as far as their talents and ambition will take them. We are putting more money into the early years than ever before, spending a record £6 billion per year on childcare and early education support by 2019/20. 1.9 million more children are in good or outstanding schools than in 2010, and the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has narrowed since we introduced the Pupil Premium in 2011 – now worth around £2.5 billion per year. We will introduce T levels with first teaching in September 2020; young pupils from disadvantaged areas are entering universities at record rates; and we are investing over £70 million this year to support young people and adults to get high quality careers provision. We know that there is more to do, and we are focusing on areas of the country with the greatest challenges and fewest opportunities, including investing £72 million in 12 Opportunity Areas. ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’, published on 14 December 2017, is the department’s national strategy for tackling social mobility through education. It sets out our key ambitions to improve outcomes at every life phase and across the whole country to ensure opportunity for everyone. ‘Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential’, attached, can also be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/improving-social-mobility-through-education.



HL3809 Attachment
(PDF Document, 2.63 MB)

Education

lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes they intend to make to the (1)education, and (2)qualification, systems, including early years, secondary, and further education,to ensure that young peopleare atthe forefront of the fourth industrialrevolution.

lord agnew of oulton: The government has a number of interventions in place to help promote and support digital skills. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework includes a section titled ‘Understanding the world’. This involves children understanding the physical world and community through opportunities to explore, observe, and find out about their broader environment, including the technology within their environment.In primary and secondary education, the 2014 key stage 1-4 computing curriculum, together with reformed GCSEs and A levels, represents a significant step-change from the previous out-dated approach, and include new challenging content such as coding, Boolean logic, and algorithms.The government is investing £84 million of new funding over the next five years to improve the teaching of computing and drive up participation in computer science qualifications, particularly amongst girls. This will include increasing the expertise of up to 8,000 existing computer science teachers and a new National Centre for Computing Education.We are investing £500 million in reforming the technical education system, which includes the development of a specialist digital route with a clear pathway to employment. The government has also introduced new digital degree apprenticeships, which are employer accredited and have seen a growing number of employers and universities come together to create high quality curricula. In addition, the government has supported the creation of Ada, the National College of Digital Skills, which will teach up to 5,000 students over the next seven years for a wide range of digital careers.

Commonwealth: Curriculum

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to incorporate the history of the Commonwealth into the national curriculum.

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that schools find ways of using modern technology to learn about today's Commonwealth prior to the Commonwealth Summit in London in April 2018.

lord agnew of oulton: The National Curriculum for history at Key Stage 2 states that pupils in maintained schools should study an aspect or theme in British history beyond 1066. This could be used by schools to teach about the Commonwealth. At Key Stage 3, pupils should study ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, 1745-1901. This could include the development of the British Empire.Pupils at Key Stage 3 should also study the challenges for Britain, Europe and the wider world from 1901 to the present day, which could include the end of Empire and Britain’s place in the world since 1945.In Key Stage 4 citizenship education, pupils in maintained schools must be taught about the different electoral systems used in and beyond the UK, the actions that citizens can take in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions, and the UK’s relations with the Commonwealth, the UN and the wider world.Schools have the autonomy to decide how to teach, and many use modern technology as part of their teaching. We are looking at the role of government in supporting schools to have access to quality content and materials.

Commonwealth: Education

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to the Commonwealth Secretariat and British Council joint programme Commonwealth Class.

viscount younger of leckie: The Department for Education was an advocate for the British Council’s bid for funding, tendered by the Commonwealth Summit Unit in Cabinet Office. This was to relaunch the Commonwealth Class network and website in the run-up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in April 2018. The Commonwealth Class provides resources for teachers across the Commonwealth to use in their schools to increase young people’s understanding of, and engagement with, the Commonwealth. The relaunch also includes a Commonwealth Class Short Story Writing Competition for children and teachers. The department will also be supporting communications to promote the values of CHOGM to schools pupils in the UK.

Social Mobility

lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they (1) assess, (2) evaluate, and (3) effectively manage, improvements in social mobility.

lord agnew of oulton: Tackling social mobility is the department’s priority. We use a range of measures to assess our progress towards giving all young people the best start in life, regardless of their background.Thanks to these measures, we can already evaluate some of our successes. Raising school standards is key to social mobility and we know that there are 1.9 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers – another core measure of our progress – has narrowed since we introduced the Pupil Premium in 2011. This is now worth around £2.5 billion per year. Young pupils from disadvantaged areas are also entering universities at record rates, providing another key measure of success.Through the department’s Opportunity Areas program, we use an Index developed by the Social Mobility Commission to identify 12 areas of the country with some of the greatest challenges. We will be targeting £72 million of investment over three years in these areas to improve outcomes for disadvantaged young people at every level of the education system.In order to continue the department’s work in effectively managing improvements in social mobility we have recently published 'Unlocking Talent, Fulfilling Potential' - an ambitious strategy that sets out an agenda for action from early years’ education to university and vocational education. A copy of this report has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Ministry of Justice

Personal Injury: Compensation

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to announce their plans for the future setting of the Ogden Rate.

lord keen of elie: On 30 November the Justice Select Committee published the report of its pre-legislative scrutiny inquiry into the draft legislation on the personal injury discount rate published by the Ministry of Justice on 7 September (Cm 9500). The Government will respond to the Committee’s conclusions and other comments received on the draft legislation and set out its views on the way forward within two months of the publication of the Committee’s report.

Sexual Offences

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convicted sex offenders are (1) in prison, and (2) under supervision in the community; and how many in each of those categories have (a) a learning disability, or (b) autism.

lord keen of elie: The information requested can be found in the table below   Sex Offenders, 30 June 2017Autism Spectrum  Learning Disability  Learning Difficulties  Total Sex Offenders  In Community371282314,820  In Custody  2221615*13,324Total  59331,43828,144All of the above figures have been taken from the National Probation Service (NPS) case record system as of 30 June 2017, with the exception of those marked with * which have been taken from the MOJ Quarterly Statistics Bulletin for the same month. The offender may have more than one of the listed disability types. As the NPS records information on learning disabilities and autism based on self-reporting, the data cannot be taken to give a complete picture of the prevalence of learning disability and autism amongst sex offenders in custody or supervised by NPS in the community. Sex offenders on licence are subject to a strict set of conditions, and any offender who fails to comply risks being returned to prison or, if convicted of further offences, facing further punishment.

Women's Centres: Finance

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will maintain or increase financial support for community-based, women-centred services as part of efforts to reduce the female prison population; and whether they will meet with representatives of those women's centres that requested a meeting in a joint letter to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Youth Justice, Victims, Female Offenders and Offender Health, dated 15 November.

lord keen of elie: We are committed to doing all we can to address the issues around female offending so we can better protect the public and deliver more effective rehabilitation. We recognise that women-centred services can play an important role in supporting female offenders and vulnerable women to address their complex needs and turn their lives around. These services are often at the heart of the holistic, multi-agency approach models for women who may be at risk of offending, in which the Government has already invested £1million between 2016 and 2020. Dr Lee, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Youth Justice, Victims, Female Offenders and Offender Health has agreed to meet with representatives of the womens’ centres that wrote to him, and his private office are working to arrange a meeting.

Ministry of Defence

Military Decorations

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byEarl Howe on 30 November (HL3468) and 12 December (HL3864), what were the differences in the eligibility criteria for (1) former Heads of Service, and (2) honorary five-star officers, for the award of Long Service and Good Conduct Medals on 29 July 2014.

earl howe: Former Heads of Service who retired at a four-star rank before 29 July 2014, are ineligible to receive the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal under the criteria laid down in the regulations which state that all officers of the Regular Forces who were serving on or after 29 July 2014 are eligible for award of the medal or clasp.Those who are subsequently appointed to honorary five-star by Her Majesty become eligible, along with those who retired at that rank.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the claimant commitment signed by a universal credit claimant takes account of any hours of paid work already being performed by a claimant when setting the number of hours a week that claimant is required to spend actively seeking work.

baroness buscombe: Work coaches should take into account the hours of paid work that a claimant is doing each week and reduce the expected hours of work search accordingly. All work-related requirements are set in discussion with claimants, are tailored to their personal circumstances and capacity, and recorded in their claimant commitment. This includes agreement of the total time they have available and can be expected to be engaged in work related activities. Hours of paid work that the claimant then does will be counted towards that total and will reduce the hours available for other work activities, including work search.

Unemployment

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Buscombe on 23 November (HL Deb, col 344), on what evidence the reference to "people whose families have for generations not had work in their lives" was based; and how many such families were identified by that evidence.

baroness buscombe: Through Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families, we set out comprehensive evidence on worklessness and its associated disadvantages, including evidence on the intergenerational transmission of worklessness in the UK. Children who grow up with workless parents are more likely to be workless themselves as adults, in comparison to children who grow up with working parents (Macmillan, 2010; Schoon et al, 2012). Gregg et al (2017) find a strong association between being in a workless household aged 14/15, and poorer educational outcomes, and worklessness and poverty in adulthood. Making a meaningful difference to the lives of disadvantaged children requires an approach that goes beyond the safety net of the welfare state to tackle the root causes of child poverty and disadvantage. Work is key to alleviating poverty; children in workless households are five times more likely to be in poverty than those in households where all adults were working. This Government’s policies support and encourage work, helping to break the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage. Compared to 2010, there are 505,000 fewer children in long-term workless households and 97,000 fewer households where no one has ever worked. References and sources can be found in the Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families evidence base.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

baroness mcgregor-smith: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they are doing to ensure that pension rights for women are equal to those for men, with particular reference to those women born in the 1950s and affected by the changes to the state pension under the Pensions Act 1995 and Pensions Act 2011.

baroness buscombe: Women retiring today can still expect to receive the State Pension for 23.5 years on average – almost three years longer than men. Even after equalising women’s State Pension age (SPa) with men’s, women will spend on average around 2 years more in receipt of their State Pension (SP) because of their longer life expectancy. The new State Pension is actually much more generous for many women, who have been historically worse off under the old system. By 2030, over 3m women stand to gain an average of £550 extra per year as a result of these changes. If SPa had not been equalised, women would spend on average over 40% of their adult life in retirement.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to change the operation of (1) the environmental stewardship schemes, and (2) other aspects of the farm payment regime, in England in (a) 2018, and (b) subsequent years.

lord gardiner of kimble: We are making four new simple Countryside Stewardship packages available in 2018 for agreements starting in 2019. Farmers applying for one of these packages will only need to select a small number of core options (a minimum of 2 or 3) from between 7 and 14 options, depending on the offer. Every farmer who applies for one of these packages and who meets the basic criteria will receive an agreement. We have significantly simplified the application form for these packages. The paper forms for the new offers are half the size of the current form. Arable farmers will be able to apply for the Arable package online. We have also increased the maximum grant available for Hedgerows and Boundaries from £5,000 to £10,000. We will continue to look for further simplification of the schemes for 2019. Leaving the EU will allow us to take back control of our policies on agriculture and the environment. The Government has pledged to work with farmers, food producers and environmental experts to devise a new environmental land management system to be introduced in the following Parliament. This will include working together to inform scheme design and to test and pilot new scheme elements.

Food: Imports

lord campbell-savours: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all local authorities in the UK have reported toHM Government that they are prepared and resourced to take on responsibility for food safety and phytosanitary checks as part of clearance processes at UK ports after March 2019; and if not, which have not so reported.

lord gardiner of kimble: Defra is working with the Food Standards Agency to look at the future arrangements for sanitary checks on imports of animal products to the UK after March 2019. As part of this we are working with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, which are responsible for carrying out some of these checks along with other delivery bodies. The Government is working to get the best deal for Britain when leaving the EU and through our new relationship with the EU we are aiming to achieve the freest possible trade in goods and services between the UK and the EU. The precise nature of our future relationship with the EU is still to be determined and is the subject of negotiation. Discussion on the sanitary and phyto-sanitary conditions that will be applicable to trade in animal and plant products will form part of these negotiations. Negotiations between the UK and the EU have so far been limited to the withdrawal arrangements.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing

lord bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the net change in the number of housing units in England in each of the last 30 years.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: This information is publicly available.Figures show annual housing supply in England amounted to 217,350 net additional dwellings in 2016-17, up 15 per cent on 2015-16 and the highest level since 2007-08.Annual estimates of net additions, on a consistent financial year basis, are available back to 1991-92 and are published in the statistical release (Table 1), to be found (attached) at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/housing-supply-net-additional-dwellings-england-2016-to-2017Prior to 1991-92 estimates of housing supply were calculated as changes in annually-produced housing stock figures, published in LiveTable 104, to be found (attached) at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-dwelling-stock-including-vacantsTo facilitate access to this information, estimates of net additional dwellings in England since 1987 have been compiled in the table below.Table 1. Annual housing supply; net additional dwellings, England: 1987 to 2016-17Reference PeriodReference DateNet additional dwellingsCalendar year1987254,000Calendar year1988206,000Calendar year1989185,000Calendar year1990166,000Financial year1991-92165,000Financial year1992-93151,000Financial year1993-94152,000Financial year1994-95166,000Financial year1995-96163,000Financial year1996-97154,000Financial year1997-98156,000Financial year1998-99149,000Financial year1999-00148,000Financial year2000-01132,000Financial year2001-02146,700Financial year2002-03159,870Financial year2003-04170,970Financial year2004-05185,550Financial year2005-06202,650Financial year2006-07214,940Financial year2007-08223,530Financial year2008-09182,770Financial year2009-10144,870Financial year2010-11137,390Financial year2011-12134,900Financial year2012-13124,720Financial year2013-14136,610Financial year2014-15170,690Financial year2015-16189,650Financial year2016-17217,350



Housing Supply net additional dwellings - HL3875
(PDF Document, 668.09 KB)




Live Table 104 - HL3875
(Excel SpreadSheet, 36 KB)

Roman Catholic Church

lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they regularly meet the Roman Catholic hierarchy of England and Wales to discuss public policy issues.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: As Minister for Faith I meet with members of the Catholic hierarchy in the course of my work. In March 2017 I met the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols. In November 2016 I visited St John's Cathedral in Portsmouth, in March 2017 St Mary’s Cathedral in Newcastle upon Tyne and, in July 2017, the Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral to learn about the excellent work these cathedrals do to support their communities.I plan to visit more Catholic places of worship in the coming year. The Government wholeheartedly supports the invaluable work being done by people around the country who are inspired by their faith and we are making sure that the voices of people of faith are heard in Government, as is appropriate.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

lord radice: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they define the phrase “regulatory alignment”.

lord callanan: The Prime Minister, during her speech in Florence, set out the Government's approach to regulatory alignment. In our negotiations with the EU, the UK starts from a unique position in that we have the same rules and regulations. The question for the UK in building a new economic partnership with the EU is therefore not how we bring our rules and regulations closer together, but what we do when one of us wants to make changes. There will be areas where regulation is outside the scope of our trade and economic relations or where we want to achieve the same goals in the same ways. But there will be areas which do affect our economic relations where we and our European partners may have different goals; or where we share the same goals but want to achieve them through different means. Our task is to find a new framework that allows for a close economic partnership but holds these rights and obligations in a new and different balance.

Department for International Trade

Trade Missions

lord barker of battle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trade missions were undertaken by ministers in 2017; and what was the destination of each mission.

baroness fairhead: The Department for International Trade undertook 139 trade missions outside of the United Kingdom in 2017, in 43 countries as follows: Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ethiopia, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Guinea, India, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vietnam, and Zambia. Of these missions, eight were supported by the Department’s Ministers, in eight countries as follows: Ethiopia, Uganda (Secretary of State for International Trade, Rt Hon Liam Fox)China (Minister of State for Trade & Export Promotion, Baroness Fairhead)Spain, United States (Minister of State for Trade Policy, Rt. Hon Greg Hands)France, Germany, India (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Investment, Mark Garnier)

Department for International Trade: Brexit

baroness wheatcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (1) the number, and (2) the cost, of (a) those directly employed by, and (b) those hired as consultants by, the Department for International Trade to work on matters related to Brexit, has increased since the Brexit referendum; and if so, by how much.

baroness fairhead: Leaving the European Union is an all-of-government operation. The Department for Exiting the European Union is doing detailed work with departments to prepare for the upcoming negotiations by understanding the risks and opportunities of leaving the EU and coordinating planning. The Department for International Trade was established to secure UK and global prosperity by promoting and financing international trade and investment and championing free trade. Given the interactions between EU exit work and the Department’s other priorities, it would not be possible to give a specific figure.

Trade Agreements

baroness chalker of wallasey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to seek to enshrine anti-corruption provisions in all post-Brexit trade agreements.

baroness fairhead: The UK’s Anti-Corruption Strategy, published on the 11th December, establishes an ambitious longer-term framework to guide UK government efforts to tackle corruption at home and abroad in the period to 2022. It sets out priorities for the government's anti-corruption response and includes a strong recognition of the relationship of integrity in business and prosperity. As a part of this, the Department for International Trade will consider how anti-corruption can be best supported through our bilateral and regional trade dialogues and trading agreements as the UK develops its position as an independent trading nation.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Direct Marketing

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on consumers of the practice of some companiessubscribing individuals to an e-mailing list without their consent and making it impossible for them to unsubscribe; and what steps they will take to prevent this practice.

lord ashton of hyde: The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR) regulates the sending of electronic marketing messages (by phone, fax, email or text), as well as the provision of electronic communication services to the public. The Information Commissioner's Office independently regulate PECR and have been clear that organisations must not send marketing emails to individuals without explicit consent. Where these rules are not adhered to, the Commissioner is able to issue enforcement notices, as well as fines of up to £500,000. The Data Protection Bill currently going through the Houses of Parliament also includes tougher rules on consent and strengthens the rights of data subjects, giving them more control over their data.

Department of Health

Mefloquine

the countess of mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord O'Shaughnessyon 5 December (HL3532) and 27 November (HL3227), whether they have seen the unclassified order of the US Surgeon General’s Office of the Army Special Command of 13 September 2013; whether there is any difference between the drug of the same name administered to US troops and that issued to British troops; and why it is necessary to demonstrate that the neurological damage caused by the administration of mefloquine is permanent before acknowledging the persistence of the neurotoxic effects of the drug.

lord o'shaughnessy: We have considered this order.There is no difference in the anti-malarial drug Mefloquine (under the brand name Lariam) currently provided to the United Kingdom and United States armed forces.Mefloquine is effective in the prevention and treatment of malaria. Approved by the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency, the current product information states that neuropsychiatric adverse reactions may occur during treatment and includes warnings and precautions to minimise these risks. Some of these reactions may persist, but it has not been established whether these are permanent.Mefloquine continues to be recommended as a safe and effective form of malaria prevention by the Advisory Committee on Malaria Prevention, the World Health Organization and other respected organisations who take account of the body of global evidence.

General Practitioners: Juries

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of jury service on the availability of GPs; and whether the Department of Health has any plans to request that the Ministry of Justice exempt GPs from jury service from where there is a shortage of NHS provision.

lord o'shaughnessy: As independent contractors, it is for individual general practitioner (GP) practices to ensure their registered patients continue to have access to primary medical services where a GP is absent on jury service. The Department has no plans to request an exemption from jury service for GPs.

Dental Services: Children

baroness redfern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to increase public awareness of the availability of free NHS dental treatment for under 19s.

lord o'shaughnessy: All those under the age of 18, or under 19 and in full time education are exempt from charges and qualify for free National Health Service dental treatment. Those who are pregnant or gave birth in the last 12 months or are on specified income related benefits are also charge exempt. All dental practices holding an NHS contract are required to display a poster, provided free of charge, setting out current NHS charges and highlighting that patients may be exempt from, or entitled, to help with charges. The Department also provides all such practices with a patient leaflet setting out patient entitlements in more detail. In addition, this information is available online at NHS Choices. Locally, NHS England run periodic initiatives, based on need, to ensure awareness. A copy of the NHS practice poster is attached.



NHS practice poster
(PDF Document, 1.66 MB)